Ensuring the kitchen is 'just right' is an essential part of managing a successful project. What it actually means to design and build the kitchen properly isn't as clear as the absolute necessity to deliver a kitchen that exceeds the client expectation. You often hear from realtors involved that the buyer reaction to the kitchen is a make or break element to whether or not they purchase the house, or continue looking at any of the dozens of other options.
To me, the kitchen needs to start off with the space allocation. At the early design stage, the prints just show a placeholder for the kitchen. You can't actually tell if the kitchen that is generically drawn in to fill the space on the print is any good. This is one reason I try to not allow the DP to be filed without the kitchen being carefully analyzed. In the current project, the kitchen has a ceiling height change, a window, a set of stairs and a hallway to consider. All of this has to feed into the design otherwise a major error could result.
To distill this kitchen commentary down, the approach I take to the kitchen is generally as follows;
- allocate enough space to the kitchen
- incorporate the best possible arrangement of upper and lower wall cabinets into the space
- select the materials and finishes that best suit the audience and budget
- build and install the kitchen with a skilled crew
- finish the job with the appliances, tile, lights, counters, etc to create the complete kitchen.
These instructions are somewhat detailed, but what I can't convey is the specifics. For example, I say 'allocate enough space' for your kitchen, but what does the mean? I have a general idea, such as I like to have the island about 9 ft long, so it can fit a dishwasher, sink cabinet, recycling area and a bank of drawers. But custom touches like how to arrange the cabinets, how high they sit on the wall, where the pantry unit is, etc, all has to be thought of in a holistic manner. There is no one correct answer, but there are many bad answers.
Also note I don't actually design anything or 'do' anything. I have a few kitchen designers I work with to prepare a concept. I have as hard a time looking at a blank room and coming up with a great kitchen layout as anyone else. As the project leader, what you must do is described below:
- Push the concept in a direction that will have the best outcome - so have a vision in mind for the project
- Know the space you have - bulkheads, windows, drop ceilings, etc will all add complexity and originality to your design, but also add some risk you make an error. You are in charge of the project so you have to make sure you won't have a fridge where the door bangs into a wall, or hits the dishwasher when it is open.
- Adjust the framing to make sure it is going to fit - the kitchen shop isn't going to frame your house properly, you need to do this yourself.
- Focus on the big picture - when you sign off on the kitchen plans, you are giving your personal guarantee to the client that this kitchen is going to work. Review your plan from multiple angles and devise scenarios to allow you to identify trouble spots, and fix them.
I am sure there are some good books out there on kitchen design, and even courses students take to gain certification in the industry. As a builder, I don't have this training, so I rely partly on an instinctive sense of what is going to work that I have gained through project experience, and partly on continuing to do the hard work to reduce the risk of a big mistake. And of course I hire some really good people (without whom none of this would ever happen). Plus I write a lot of big cheques to mobilize everything. Deposits to kitchen shops can be a frightening experience, but necessary for the shop to order the material.
Here is the final shop drawing that came out of multiple revisions, visits to the site to adjust dimension, and a lot of double checking on how to make it all work.
Fortunately your kitchen designer has the software for this work to be done quickly and precisely. Each box is cut to fit, there are no standard sizes here.
At this point all boxes are in, the doors are almost all on (except those back in the shop to get finished), even the handles and door stops are installed. This is a kitchen complete enough such that the counters are being templated for delivery next week.
In this project, we had some extra space that we needed to fill in the right way. My designer added this practical pull out to avoid having over width drawers. This is a nice touch and I am pleased with the outcome. This is why you have an experienced designer that can be relied on to present solutions for the builder to accept quickly.
I had an additional wall to ceiling pantry unit designed into the space. The previous model of this project could have benefitted from another storage area. This is another one of those attempts to build the project to suit the needs of the client, even when I have yet to know who the client is (but I can guess that this is a family home, mom or dad will be at costco and loading up on bulk items and cereal boxes, and need somewhere to put the blender). This is an example of making sure there is enough space allocated to the kitchen, and using it effectively.
I think this kitchen is a success from any metric I use. First, I think the design is sound. Second, the flush fitted look and the colours I have selected are going to really work (we can reserve final analysis until the backsplash goes in), third, Mike did a nice job on install and the shop cut the doors to have a grain match. This makes a huge difference. And finally, we worked within a defined budget with very little compromise.
This is a long and possibly boring blog post, so I will end it with an offer to review any of my readers' kitchen plan. I can always take 15 minutes to offer up detached feedback on a kitchen project. And no, I don't care if this is for a kitchen that I am not hired to work on, is competing in a similar market as my own product, or whatever other reason that prevents people from getting in touch. I don't share the secretive approach that is so common in the construction management business today. I'd like to see each project move ahead successfully and on time, including the guys building down the street from my own houses. I have at most 9 houses to build over the next year or two, in the context of a city of 1.x million, my projects are a tiny fraction of what will be built. Great luck with your kitchens!